Back to blogging about training, with a whole new perspective.
I took a little time off after the half ironman and then decided to get back in gear with a 5K at the end of August. I was ready to nail it, but I wasn’t sure how fast I could go. So the weekend before, my lovely husband accompanied me to the track for a 2-mile time trial. I ran, and he timed me and prevented me from modifying the workout to anything shorter than 2 miles. I hit it in 14:20 so was confident I was ready to race around 22 the following weekend.
Race day, I felt great, ready to go and anxious for post-race mimosas. The pace started off fine, but about a mile and a half in (if that), I started slowing and slowing and slowing. The only thing I was doing quickly was letting my racing partner get further and further ahead of me. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Alas, I finished the race in 23:54. The race wasn’t well marked, so had we gone out way too fast? Why couldn’t I hold the pace I was fine at the weekend before?
The answer came in the greatest news later that night – a positive pregnancy test!
Between the 2-mile time trial and the 5K race, my hormone levels had gone from less than 12 mlU/ml to somewhere around 7,000 mlU/ml, and that flat out messes up your body. Over the next 8 weeks, I was exhausted all the time, and nauseous all the time for at least 3 of those weeks. I did a few short runs here and there which sometimes made me feel better, but my awake hours in a day were literally limited to 12-13. When 10 of those are spent at the office and commuting, it just doesn’t leave any time for anything else. Some days, just getting to the bus and home from work felt like a hard workout.
Now, beginning my 2nd trimester, my energy is coming back and I’m only sick a couple of hours a day (3-6pm to be exact). So it’s back to training and staying fit while pregnant! I’m going to keep running as long as it’s comfortable and I’m sure the pool is going to become my best friend. It’s dangerous to bike because of the risk of a fall, but luckily I have the trainer to use. Maybe some yoga as well? I’m excited for this new challenge as I get bigger and bigger and also for the challenge of getting back in shape post-baby next May!
11.12.2009
11.10.2009
10 Things I Remember about the Half Ironman
I started a race report a few days after finishing the half ironman but just the pre-race section was easily the first chapter of a novel and I realized it would take me forever to write about the whole race. So instead, the ten things I remember nearly four months later…
1. My husband – the most amazing supporter. He drove an hour round trip back to the hotel when I realized I forgot by T2 bag to drop off when we went to pick up my number with no complaints. He drove my mom and sis around during the race. And he biked ahead of me on the run, meeting me every mile to slather me with more sunblock. I am very lucky.
2. My mom and baby sis in town to spectate at their first triathlon. And Tal being so worried I would be upset with my race and inspired that I wasn’t.
3. A satisfying swim – the longest I’ve ever done. 1.2 miles in 38:59.
4. A tree falling across the road on the bike course, just minutes before I arrived, when they were still allowing us to walk our bikes under the fallen tree, precariously tangled with power lines.
5. The panic of a woosh-woosh of a flat tire and the relief to find it was a race sticker I had run over and not a flat (I’ve never changed a flat on my own!).
6. The most fun I’ve ever had on a bike ride. So great to race on roads that I knew very well surprise myself with an average speed of 17.9mph and a time of 3:08. Set me up for an easy run – a 2:07 would result in a sub-6 hour time.
7. A decent pace set for the first few miles of the run, followed by slower running, jogging, shuffling, scuffling, and walking.
8. HEAT and asphalt. Over 100 degrees, no shade, black roads, pure hell. The aid stations couldn't keep up with the demand. I had plenty of fluids but have concluded that I should have had salt tablets and that I simply do not do heat.
9. A mental and emotional state I’ve never experienced in a race before. Just finish (I have felt that before) and happiness about “just” finishing (I have never felt that before – I am usually angry). At some point in the run I realized I could push myself and risk passing out and not finishing at all, or I could just take every step forward, as slow as it may be, to get to the finish line and know I wouldn’t be a DNF in my first half ironman.
10. Satisfaction and no disappointment. I don’t think there was much I could do avoid that trainwreck of a run (slower than the slowest split in my slowest full marathon). I’m left with a whole lot of unfinished business and can’t wait to do another one!
Pictures here!
1. My husband – the most amazing supporter. He drove an hour round trip back to the hotel when I realized I forgot by T2 bag to drop off when we went to pick up my number with no complaints. He drove my mom and sis around during the race. And he biked ahead of me on the run, meeting me every mile to slather me with more sunblock. I am very lucky.
2. My mom and baby sis in town to spectate at their first triathlon. And Tal being so worried I would be upset with my race and inspired that I wasn’t.
3. A satisfying swim – the longest I’ve ever done. 1.2 miles in 38:59.
4. A tree falling across the road on the bike course, just minutes before I arrived, when they were still allowing us to walk our bikes under the fallen tree, precariously tangled with power lines.
5. The panic of a woosh-woosh of a flat tire and the relief to find it was a race sticker I had run over and not a flat (I’ve never changed a flat on my own!).
6. The most fun I’ve ever had on a bike ride. So great to race on roads that I knew very well surprise myself with an average speed of 17.9mph and a time of 3:08. Set me up for an easy run – a 2:07 would result in a sub-6 hour time.
7. A decent pace set for the first few miles of the run, followed by slower running, jogging, shuffling, scuffling, and walking.
8. HEAT and asphalt. Over 100 degrees, no shade, black roads, pure hell. The aid stations couldn't keep up with the demand. I had plenty of fluids but have concluded that I should have had salt tablets and that I simply do not do heat.
9. A mental and emotional state I’ve never experienced in a race before. Just finish (I have felt that before) and happiness about “just” finishing (I have never felt that before – I am usually angry). At some point in the run I realized I could push myself and risk passing out and not finishing at all, or I could just take every step forward, as slow as it may be, to get to the finish line and know I wouldn’t be a DNF in my first half ironman.
10. Satisfaction and no disappointment. I don’t think there was much I could do avoid that trainwreck of a run (slower than the slowest split in my slowest full marathon). I’m left with a whole lot of unfinished business and can’t wait to do another one!
Pictures here!
7.27.2009
7.20.2009
7.10.2009
No excuse
I could try to make excuses for the last six weeks, but there's really no good excuse. Tired, busy, traveling, lazy, on the verge of sick, disinterested. None of those reasons justify that I've completely sucked the last 6 weeks.
There were a few high points here and there - a fast 10.5 mile run, another long ride on the course that included Chalk Hill - but only a few, and that's pretty ridiculous.
The half ironman is next weekend, and there's really nothing I can do about it now. I'll get a few runs and rides and swims in over the next week, but I'll be relying on the base of January through May training, without any fine tuning that I should have been doing over the last few weeks.
I'll finish, and I'm sure I'll be happy, and it's likely I'll want to do another, but it's not going to be fast and it's not going to be pretty.
But, I will have three of my favorite people there cheering me on - Kyle, my mom, and Tal. So I'll do my best to put on a good show.
There were a few high points here and there - a fast 10.5 mile run, another long ride on the course that included Chalk Hill - but only a few, and that's pretty ridiculous.
The half ironman is next weekend, and there's really nothing I can do about it now. I'll get a few runs and rides and swims in over the next week, but I'll be relying on the base of January through May training, without any fine tuning that I should have been doing over the last few weeks.
I'll finish, and I'm sure I'll be happy, and it's likely I'll want to do another, but it's not going to be fast and it's not going to be pretty.
But, I will have three of my favorite people there cheering me on - Kyle, my mom, and Tal. So I'll do my best to put on a good show.
5.29.2009
Sapped of energy
Tried to wake up in the morning yesterday and couldn't.
No spunk in my legs last night after work. Cut the bike workout in half because I was tired and bored and unmotivated.
I think I'm out of the game mentally right now; training alone is starting to get to me.
Tried to wake up again this morning and couldn't.
No spunk in my legs last night after work. Cut the bike workout in half because I was tired and bored and unmotivated.
I think I'm out of the game mentally right now; training alone is starting to get to me.
Tried to wake up again this morning and couldn't.
5.28.2009
Buying a house is tiring
Started off last week with a 40 minute fartlek run on Tuesday morning. And that’s where it ends until the weekend. Seriously. This week we made another offer on another house. And after 4 months and 4 offers, we are finally in contract on a house. So last week was spent writing an offer, accepting a counter offer, signing piles of loan documents, gathering all sorts of evidence for the loan, and trying to suppress our excitement. So not only was the “house thing” time-intensive, it was also a huge emotional drain on energy. I just couldn’t get up in the morning early enough to workout and the evenings were spent going to the house, working on the paperwork, etc. It was a very lame week, but Kyle keeps telling, “It's OK, we’re buying a house!” and I keep saying, “But I don't think they have an I-bought-a-house-during-training shortcut in the HIM.” So from last Tuesday, my next workout wasn’t until last Saturday, a 40-minute run.
On Sunday, Kyle and I drove up to Sonoma so that I could ride on the HIM course. The middle 15 miles or so we’ve biked before unknowingly. Kyle dropped me about 5 miles from the start and then drove to Healdsburg. At the drop-off:
I biked the 13 miles to Healdsburg and then Kyle joined me for another 25 miles. I’m hoping that this time on the course will be an advantage for me. The first 12 miles that I did alone were pretty rolly. There were a couple good downhills that led into turns with big signs for cars to slow down so I did too but I know for the race that I don’t need to slow down as much as I did. I discovered some fun landmarks to use like these two HUGE white horses that were just chilling and a field of “happy cows” and an old tin shed just before a hill that hurts a bit.
Where Kyle joined me, the course is on a bigger road, the ups and downs are longer and more gradual and I’m very familiar with that stretch. As we were coming up to where I knew from past rides that there was a big hill, we agreed to stop at the top for quick water break since it was tough last time we were there (a few months ago I guess?). But when we got to the cemetery that I thought was the top of the hill it didn’t seem like the hill was nearly hard enough. I actually asked Kyle, “Was that IT? I remembered it being so much bigger!” So I guess riding in the Berkeley Hills is paying off. Around mile 35 of the course (~30 miles into my ride), we turned off back to Healdsburg. Total ride was 38 for me, 25 for Kyle. I’m going to try to get to Sonoma at least once more, because I need to do the infamous Chalk Hill at mile 45.
Monday and Tuesday off. What? Yeah, I know. Back in gear Wednesday though. 38 minute run with 3 3-minute intervals that I did on a hill just to punish myself for sucking so much over the last week.
On Sunday, Kyle and I drove up to Sonoma so that I could ride on the HIM course. The middle 15 miles or so we’ve biked before unknowingly. Kyle dropped me about 5 miles from the start and then drove to Healdsburg. At the drop-off:
I biked the 13 miles to Healdsburg and then Kyle joined me for another 25 miles. I’m hoping that this time on the course will be an advantage for me. The first 12 miles that I did alone were pretty rolly. There were a couple good downhills that led into turns with big signs for cars to slow down so I did too but I know for the race that I don’t need to slow down as much as I did. I discovered some fun landmarks to use like these two HUGE white horses that were just chilling and a field of “happy cows” and an old tin shed just before a hill that hurts a bit.
Where Kyle joined me, the course is on a bigger road, the ups and downs are longer and more gradual and I’m very familiar with that stretch. As we were coming up to where I knew from past rides that there was a big hill, we agreed to stop at the top for quick water break since it was tough last time we were there (a few months ago I guess?). But when we got to the cemetery that I thought was the top of the hill it didn’t seem like the hill was nearly hard enough. I actually asked Kyle, “Was that IT? I remembered it being so much bigger!” So I guess riding in the Berkeley Hills is paying off. Around mile 35 of the course (~30 miles into my ride), we turned off back to Healdsburg. Total ride was 38 for me, 25 for Kyle. I’m going to try to get to Sonoma at least once more, because I need to do the infamous Chalk Hill at mile 45.
Monday and Tuesday off. What? Yeah, I know. Back in gear Wednesday though. 38 minute run with 3 3-minute intervals that I did on a hill just to punish myself for sucking so much over the last week.
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